Posted on 16/03/2016 by Nicole Picone

Our Recruitment team at ExecutiveDNA utilise LinkedIn to find talented job seekers every day. If you are new to LinkedIn or if you want to ensure you get the most out of your profile, check out our top mistakes to avoid.

1. Profile Photo
You would be surprised of the impact a good professional profile photo can have. LinkedIn reports your visibility increases by 40% compared to those profiles that do not have a photo. However, before hitting that upload button, be sure that it is an appropriate image – remember that this is your personal professional network, not your social network that you have on other forms of social media such as Facebook. 

2. Headline
A headline is the most valuable real estate on your LinkedIn profile, so use it wisely! Add a catchy headline that will give people a clear idea of what you specialise in. Never put generic titles such as Consultant, Specialist or Manager, always add further descriptive words  E.g. Engineering Consultant, Human Resources Specialist, IT Manager. 

3.Experience or Skills
If one of your aims is to increase your visibility with talent scouts or potential employers, then ensure you have a summary career path  and list skill sets - This will make it easier for them to find you in searches and not overlook you. 

4. Summary
As talent finders, we believe that not having a summary should be a crime! This is not only an opportunity to summarise your skills and experience, but should explain how you solve the end user’s (your prime audience) problem. Think about why you utilise LinkedIn e.g. increase your brand awareness and engagement with your clients and extended business network. 
Note: Ensure that you write in 1st person. 

5. Only talking about today
LinkedIn is about people connecting; the more information you have on your professional journey, the more opportunities you have to create additional interest and reasons for people to reach out to you. Your key audience could find interest in your highly specialised background, previous companies, universities, or a common skill – who knows! 

6. Too many current roles
When listing your experience, be sure that you have an end date for each of your previous roles. Another common mistake that occurs is when people have been at the same company for years, but only refer to their current role. If you have progressed within the one company, show your career path – people want to understand your story.

7. Contact details
If your aim on LinkedIn is to catch the eye of talent scouts, potential employers or clients, then make it easy for them to contact you. You don’t have to place your phone number on your profile but what about a professional email address? 

8. Bombarding 
Being too active can work against you! Posting irrelevant third party content with no comments or material that doesn’t belong on LinkedIn can reflect poorly on you. Make sure that every post has a meaningful business purpose and remember that this is your personal professional network that you are trying to build – quality before quantity.

9. Abandoning your profile
Once you have spent time on perfecting your profile, don’t abandon it! It doesn’t mean you have to log in every day, but make sure you have an active email address connected to it. This will enable notifications to be sent to you when you receive a message, recommended jobs or connections. Abandoning your profile can damage your brand and reflect poorly on your follow through. 

Once you have created your LinkedIn profile, don't forget to follow ExecutiveDNA on LinkedIn for more tips and tricks.